


The Nevarra World Building Project

by brialavellan



Series: Nevarra World Building Project [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age Lore, Gen, Nevarra, Not Canon Compliant, The Nevarra World Building Project, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6634729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brialavellan/pseuds/brialavellan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An multi-part work expanding on Nevarra, in the Dragon Age universe - inspired by all of the amazing world-building I’ve seen with Rivain to add a little more color to this fantasy Europe landscape.</p><p>All the DA wiki gives me for Nevarra is that it was a Tevinter town that got invaded by Alamarri, then Orlesians and it gave me dynasties and dragon hunters and my favorite “straight” butch girl, Cassandra Pentaghast. Also, mummies and pyramids. </p><p>I felt strongly that the pyramids and mummification was an obvious homage to Egypt, and some details that are either easily dismissed (i.e. referring to the Pentaghasts as a “clan”) and some that were played off for laughs (i.e. Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena “Get on with it!” Pentaghast) also resonated with me as cultural relics or quirks that are distinctly Middle Eastern.</p><p>Which means, for my Nevarra worldbuilding, I will be pulling heavily from Middle Eastern cultures and influences.</p><p>I will expand Nevarra’s history, add quite a bit on culture (i.e. family, belief systems, holidays, food, basically anything that comes to mind), and maybe introduce my own take on Nevarran language - or at least, what would remain of a Nevarran language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A preview of what I am trying to achieve with this project - in the form of two codices.

# Preview

 

Those necromancers holed up in the Grand Necropolis will tell you theories about spirit displacement and blather on about in an attempt to justify our old ways to outsiders. They are all lies, new tales perpetuated by the Alamarri and Orlesian foreigners who settled in Nevarran lands to justify our traditions. Those same outsiders who absorbed our cultures but stole our throne.

The true reason we keep the dead is because they are our ancestors – the spirits that dwell beyond the Veil are our brothers and sisters, mother and fathers. They are our family. We consult with them and provide for them. They share our joy and our grief. They share our blood. And we do not abandon family. Our ties, our love and our loyalty are stronger than death. We are not so callous to our family that we would dispose of them so easily. We do not let them wander the Veil without a home to return to. We do not destroy the vessel that carried them, because they might never return to us. And there is no greater pain than to be torn from your blood-ties. To be permanently torn from your family.  

And when it is my turn to pass through the Veil, I can take comfort in the fact that I will be welcomed with open arms.

_-Dounya Bahieh Hafiza Amal, priestess and matriarch of the Nasir clan._

* * *

Why did you ask me if I know King Markus?

Do you ask every Fereldan if they know their king? Do you assume every fishwife in Orlais is a first cousin of Empress Celene?

It’s hard enough to explain to the Nevarrans who aren’t from the old clans, much less complete foreigners, but I’ll try.

I don’t know him. Most importantly, I don’t care for him. The Pentaghast name is not the name I fight for. It is not the name that would be raised or shamed by my actions. It was forced through marriage.

The Pentaghasts and Van Markams are still foreigners to many of us. We have been forced to take their customs and their names.

You can tell they are foreigners because their tongue still trips on Nevarran names. My husband says he is Nevarran. He is a Pentaghast. But ask him to pronounce the names of the clans that dwelled here, before the Pentaghasts and Van Markhams, before Andraste, even before Tevinter, and his tongue does somersaults.

How hard is it to say Clan Bazlamit? It’s not.

Well, maybe for you. Because you don’t _know_ Nevarra. Don’t feel bad, most Nevarrans don’t either.

Nevarra is far more than the Grand Necropolis and the Pentaghasts.

You’ll know Nevarra when every time you step outside your door, you can hear someone singing along to the strumming of an oud, or an old woman reciting poetry or one of our tales to an audience of street urchins and nobles alike.

You’ll know Nevarra when you pass by a town square and catch two beggars engaging in open political debate, and you don’t bat an eye because, in Nevarra, even the illiterate are still informed.

You’ll know Nevarra when you see the crypts and you no longer shudder in fear, but you bow your head in reverence. Because we treasure our ancestors, those who came before us. They helped mold and shape us, through action or inaction, and to deny those who shaped you is denying yourself. 

You’ll know Nevarra when you don’t gape in astonishment when I tell you my full name so effortlessly, because I honor the women who made me, and because you cannot know me without knowing my clan.

You’ll know Nevarra when your linens start to smell like rose water and incense.

The Nevarra I know, **that** is the real Nevarra.

_\- Letter from Tasnim Pentaghast, a Cumberland merchant, to Brother Genitivi_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not designed to be canon-compliant or replace whatever canon material Bioware releases on Nevarra
> 
> You are free to use any of this for your own fics or meta, I only ask that you credit (and link, if you want) to the Nevarra World Building Project.


	2. Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A summary on Nevarra's language

#  Languages 

The languages now spoken by most Nevarrans is nearly unrecognizable and _very_ different from the language spoken by the native Nevarrans that resided here before the Alamarri and Orlesians conquered this region. These isolated Nevarrans cling tightly to this ancient language that now struggles to survive even in the forgotten corners of Thedas.

Due to repeated invasions and heavy migration in this region, what remains of the Nevarran language is spoken by only the most isolated clans - those who have chosen to retreat into the deserts and refuse to recognize Pentaghast rule - or the most dedicated scholars, committed to preserving what remains of the language, despite severe opposition from the Chantry and the reigning Pentaghast and Van Markham clans. 

Today, the language is all but unknown by the average Nevarran. Some are vaguely aware that the few words that have seeped into the common vernacular are ancient relics from a time before Andraste and the Chantry. Even fewer know about the pains taken by the Chantry to erase this history.

Most surviving copies of the written language are preserved at the University of Nevarra, located in the Scholar’s Plaza, a historic area in Cumberland that houses the premier centers of learning and academia in Nevarra, as well as the College of Magi. 

* * *

Most Nevarrans are at least bilingual, the primary languages spoken being Trade Tongue and a patois of Orlesian unique to Nevarrans.

Most Orlesians deride the Nevarran dialect as “harsh,” “brutish,” and “guttural” and refuse to admit that it is derived from Orlesian or that they can understand it. Any Nevarran would consider these accusations as compliments – at least when they speak, they retort, their words actually mean something.

There is considerable debate as to whether the Orlesian spoken in Nevarra should be classified as a dialect or as a separate language entirely.  Even though the Orlesian spoken in Orlais and Nevarra are, for the most part, mutually intelligible, there are some words and language conventions in the Nevarran dialect that are borrowed completely from Classical Nevarran and are not found in any other Thedosian language.

* * *

**Examples**

_**Usra** _ – family or clan, those who are related by blood or marriage.

 _ **Umma** _ – nation, united by purpose as opposed to blood or country of origin

 _ **Jannah**_ – describing the now-outdated Nevarran concept of “heaven”, a physical place where the spirits of those who lived righteous lives would dwell, splitting time between this “world” and the waking world of their relatives and descendants.

 _ **Jinn**_ – an ancient Nevarran term for Fade spirits and demons, described as beings made of “smokeless fire”. This term is no longer used by most Nevarrans, but is frequently referenced in the few remaining written works and old folktales not destroyed or erased by Chantry zealots.

 _ **Ghul**_ – Any form of abomination, but usually referred to abominations formed through involuntary possession of corpses or mages by “intelligent” demons i.e. arcane horrors and revenants.

 _ **Nahat(ah)** _ – ancient Nevarran term for a mage, lit. “sculptor” in Classical Nevarran.

 _ **Imam** _ – Nevarran term for “guide” or “teacher”. The most appropriate analogy would be the Dalish mage “Keepers” which are the head of their various clans.


	3. Religion and Religious Practices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overview of various religions and religious practices observed by most Nevarrans
> 
> The focus will be on three major faiths:  
> 1\. The Cult of the Maker  
> 2\. The Cosmic Triad  
> 3\. Andrastianism and the Chant in Nevarra

#  Religion and Religious Practices 

##  Overview: 

Though the Chantry desires to spread the faith to all four corners of the World, there are many peoples all over Thedas who retain their old traditions, their old practices, their old gods. 

Chantry influence in Nevarra is incredibly strong, second only to Orlais, but the relationship between most Nevarrans and the Chantry is best described as _peculiar_.

While some Nevarrans have completely rejected the Chantry and its teachings, choosing to cling to pre-Andrastian faiths, and others have completely devoted themselves to Andraste and the Chant of Light, many other Nevarrans merely adapt the Chantry’s teachings into their old faiths, creating a mixture of Andrastian and pre-Andrastian beliefs and practices that is uniquely Nevarran. 

This process of partial assimilation is far more common among the self proclaimed “old clans” - those whose bloodlines predate the rising of King Caspar Pentaghast, or even the rule of Andraste’s son, Verald. 

The Cult of the Maker is the largest of these faiths, practiced among a large percentage of the Mortalitasi and even some of the more distant Pentaghast and Van Markham relatives. 

This perceived deviation is tolerated by most of the Chantry hierarchy within Nevarra, as long as those who follow these disparate faiths do not make their perceived blasphemy known.


	4. Religion and Religious Practices: The Cult of the Maker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An expansion of the "Cult of the Maker" - the second largest religion in Nevarra through codices from different perspectives on the faith and the worshippers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Part 1 of a three-part series on the major religions in Nevarra

# Religion and Religious Practices

##  _The Cult of the Maker_

In the name of our Maker  
Whose grace is unparalleled  
Whose mercy is infinite  
Who plucked us from the Heavens  
Who created us from the Earth  
Only She can Sustain us.

In the name of our Maker  
Who breathed being into us  
Who gave us form.  
Who guides us till Death.  
Till we return to the Heavens.  
Only She can Redeem us.

In the name of our Maker  
The Protector and Sustainer  
The Force of All Creation  
Only She is Exalted  
And only She shall be Praised _  
_

_\- Opening verses from the The Revelation._

* * *

**The Cult of the Maker** is seemingly a misnomer for this particular sect. The confusion is understandable, since the “Cult of the Maker” was, in fact, used to describe those who worshipped Andraste and the Maker before the formalization of the Chantry.

Worship of a “Maker” has always existed, a force attributed to the creation of the World and the Fade as we know it.

However, this “Cult of the Maker” term refers to a uniquely Nevarran interpretation of a Creator Force that predates Andraste, and likely predates worship of the false Tevinter Gods. 

What separates this Cult of the Maker from the Chantry and her Faithful is the persistent and stubborn refusal to recognize Andraste as the Maker’s Divine Bride, and the refusal to recognize the Chant and the Chantry as the true words and will of the Maker.

It is not simply that these cultists refuse to recognize Andraste existed. It is the refusal to recognize Andraste as more than a mortal woman. According to this cult of the Maker, Andraste was merely a righteous and powerful woman, and a mage, according to the more fanciful and blasphemous accounts. To them, she is not the Maker’s Chosen, she is not a prophet, and anything more than mere reverence of an admirable woman and cunning leader is considered heresy.

Maybe this is why this particular belief system persists into the present day. They supposedly worship the same Maker, they revere Andraste and praise her deeds, and adherents can easily hide the more blasphemous detail under the cover of a clever tongue. But this is not bickering between Chantry scholars on minute details. This is a deliberate rejection of the core of our Faith.

Neither the First Inquisition, nor Drakon’s armies, were successful in completely eliminating these heretics, or at least steering them towards the light of Andraste and the Chantry, and it is rumored that this cult still survives in great numbers among the Nevarrans, with many adherents even among the royal family and the Mortalitasi. 

_\- From Before Andrastianism: the Forgotten Faiths by Sister Rondwyn of Tantervale_

* * *

We do not know much about the origins of the Revelation. The one who spoke these first words to our people and brought us the truth of the Maker has been lost to time. 

We have only a name. Rasul. The first messenger. We thank him for the first Revelation.

There have been many messengers over the eons. Rasul was the first. Andraste was the last.

But time and time again, we forget the true Maker. Time and time again, we turn to worship false gods, the messengers, and heralds.

We try to give Divinity names and form.  
But Our Maker is beyond name and form.

Our Maker is infinite in all things.  
She is the Mother of Creation  
**She** gives **us** name and form  
**She** gives **us** purpose and drive

And, for those who listen, she shares her gifts.  
She shares compassion, purpose, wisdom and faith.

She shares the power to shape this world with will, and the power to pass between this world and the Beyond, where our spirit brethren dwell.

But for those who reject her  
Those who deny her  
Do not pray that she has nothing for you.

Pray for punishment. 

Because to be forgotten, to be left stranded in the Void, left to wander without the will of the Maker to guide you, is a greater torture than man or spirit can inflict.

\- _A sermon on the Nature of the Maker, as told by Dounya Bahieh Hafiza Amal, priestess and matriarch of the Nasir clan._


	5. Religion and Religious Practices: The Cosmic Triad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An expansion on the "Cosmic Triad" - the largest non-Andrastian faith in Nevarra and one of the oldest polythetic religions in all of Thedas - through codices from different perspectives expanding on the tenets of the Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Part 2 of a three-part series on the major religions in Nevarra

#  Religion and Religious Practices 

##  _The Cosmic Triad_

Once, the world was whole.  
There was no Veil between the Domain of Man and Jinn.  
And this created endless conflict.

Man and Jinn battled each other, each seeking to rule over all of Creation.  
Goaded by their gods: Allahtu, Master of Earth, Ruler of Men and Ahnu, Lord of the Heavens, Supreme among Spirits.

But there was one who preached a different Way.

Eridu did not rule. He taught.  
Eridu did not lead. He served.  
And his nahatin, his shapers, learned to walk both realms without fear.

And he tried to teach this truth to his sisters.

He protected Men when Ahnu scorched the Earth.  
He protected Jinn when Allahtu shook the heavens.

But when Ahnu and Allahtu threatened his nahatin,  
He turned on his sisters.  
He banished Ahnu to the heavens.  
He buried Allahtu under the Earth.  
And he broke the world in two.

_\- Excerpt from The Origins of Thedas - A Compilation of Creation Stories, author unknown_

* * *

While visiting the University of Nevarra’s archives to conduct research for my treatise on the pagan belief system of the elves, I came across a strange legend, tucked away in a dusty tome missing half its pages. At the time, I mistook it as yet another treatise on Fen’harel’s betrayal of the Elven gods. In fact, when I began reading, the legend I came across follows the general theme. The world is forever changed by a spiteful, angry trickster that the gods believed was one of their own. 

However, everything else about it was wrong. Only two gods are mentioned, with names I have not seen in any other texts, human or elven. It also posits that this Trickster created our world - but does not refer to him as the “Maker” - instead saying that he, essentially, broke the world to save it. 

After further study, it turns out I had stumbled on a text outlining a pre-Andrastian faith referred to as _**The Cosmic Triad**_  - a belief system that was apparently the dominant pagan faith among the Nevarrans before Nevarra was absorbed into the Tevinter Imperium. 

Their legends, and this tome, outlined the near constant conflicts between two antagonistic “twin spirits” - referred to as _Ahnu_ and _Allahtu._  

 _Ahnu_ is considered the ruler of the heavens, associated with the sun and the Fade, and, curiously enough, shared many traits I thought only ascribed to the Dalish creator gods. Her followers were called _jinn_ , an old Nevarran term for spirits. _Allahtu -_  her “twin soul” and the supposed creator of and ruler over humans - rejects Ahnu’s rule, and wages war against Ahnu’s subjects for “stealing the blood of the Earth”. Their conflicts are usually resolved by their version of Fen’harel, referred to as Eridu, and his subjects - the _nahatin_ \- which, according to these tales, can “shape both worlds” as their god does. It is also interesting to note that “nahat” is the old Nevarran term for mages. In these tales, Eridu regularly uses deception and trickery to subdue these gods - or uses his cunning to save either the fearful jinn or humans from the destructive consequences of a feud between Ahnu and Allahtu. 

What is unique to this belief system is that many of the allegories and elements of storytelling are directly and closely linked to elven myths and legends, in a way that almost no human legends are. Many cults and heretical belief systems exist among pre-Andrastian cultures, but none mimic elven legends quite as strongly as the legends associated with the Cosmic Triad - and we do know, historically speaking, that the “old” Nevarran clans had (and continue to have) uniquely cooperative and friendly relationships with elves that persists into the present day. 

In Dalish legends, Fen’harel’s objectives were little beyond spite and contempt for the Dalish gods. However, this trickster and his motivations surrounding his Betrayal is painted in a slightly more sympathetic light - focusing on his fear that the fighting between the twin gods would eventually destroy the world completely, and his belief that they were power-hungry and no longer deserved to rule their respective domains. This might be the motivation that the elven Fen’harel seems to be missing. 

It also notes that Eridu exiles himself from the world he creates, mourning those who died as a result - including most of the nahatin - and believing himself unworthy to lead those who survived - an oddly humanizing take on a figure who, in many respects, should be reviled.

It is difficult to say if this cult still has adherents, or if the similarities are more than coincidence, but I firmly believe further study on this “Cosmic Triad” is warranted. The potential treasure trove of legends and mythology we may stumble upon could do more than potentially fill in the missing gaps of the most famous elven tale in Thedas. The historical and cultural significance of anything we do find is too great to ignore. 

Additionally, we know almost nothing of most human cultures and societies predating the Tevinter Imperium. An opportunity to study a human culture that existed independently of Tevinter and was so uniquely tied to elves is something we should not, under any circumstances, pass up. 

_\- A letter from Professor Senallen Tavernier, author of A Treaty on the Pagan and Heretical Customs of the Elven, to Chancellor Jürgen Haulis of the University of Orlais_

* * *

**The Cosmic Triad** is currently the largest non-Andrastian faith practiced by humans in Nevarra, mostly among the nomadic clans who travel across the Silent Plains. It is also rumored to be one of the oldest faiths in Thedas, predating even the worship of the Tevinter Old Gods.

The “Triad” refers to the three deities worshiped by the followers of this faith - Ahnu, who created spirits and rules over the heavens, Allahtu, who created men and rules over the Earth, and Eridu, the mediator between these two domains, and the creator of mages.

Those who follow this faith are known to highly revere mages, some to the point of worship. Mages (referred to as _nahatin_ ) are always in positions of leadership among these clans, and many of these mages practice arts forbidden or otherwise stamped out by the Chantry, such as divination, shape-shifting, or communing with spirits. To those who follow the Triad, mages are considered to be not only a separate “race” from humans and spirits, but superior to both, for their ability to will things into being and to walk both the world and the Fade with (relative) ease.

Outside of that, very little is known about this particular sect. Few Nevarrans even know that some practitioners still exist, with most believing the last worshipers were killed during the First Inquisition. Even fewer know the basic tenets.

To the day, followers of this faith are extremely persecuted, especially in Northern Nevarra, where they are hunted by the Chantry and the Templars with as much vigor and frequency as escaped apostates and maleficarum. Countless Triad adherents were killed during the First Inquisition, during the rise of the Pentaghast and Van Markham dynasties, and most recently, during the Mage-Templar War.


	6. Religion and Religious Practices: Andraste and the Chant in Nevarra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An expansion on Andrastianism in Nevarra and Nevarra's cultural take on the Chantry through three codices expanding on tradition Nevarran interpretations of Andraste and her mythos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Part 3 of a three-part series on the major religions in Nevarra

# Religion and Religious Practices

##  _Andraste and the Chant in Nevarra_

Orlais is known as the seat of the Chantry. However, it would be inaccurate to assume that Orlesians are the strongest adherents to the Faith. The most devout Thedosians can be found not at the center of Chantry power and influence, but at the edges of the Orlesian empire at its largest - the Anderfels and Nevarra.

  
For the Anderfels, it is easy to see why they cling to the Chantry so ferociously. For the Anders people, life is brutal and harsh. Darkspawn are a constant, ever-present threat. Even the weather seems to conspire against the Anders. Hardly anything growns in the sandblasted ruins, mostly due to darkspawn corruption. Sandstorms can strip skin from bones. In these conditions, it seems only the Maker could bring any comfort.

  
Nevarra is different. For Nevarrans, the history of the Chantry is inexorably tied with the history of Nevarra. And Nevarrans are a people with a long memory and a deep appreciation for their history. Even those who don’t believe know more about the formation of the Chantry than most, because they live among the ruins of that history. Andraste is not a faraway concept. You can walk in her footsteps if you cross the Valarian Fields. If all Thedosians could be so close to Our Bride and the Maker, I think we would see far more people of deep faith across Thedas.

  
_\- A journal entry by Brother Genitivi_

* * *

 

Sister,

  
I don’t know how to express this delicately, so I’ll just be blunt. I have the fortune of having the chance to travel across Thedas. I come from the Grand Cathedral, the center of our faith, so I can see how distance and culture change how people worship. There are three places where I have found that the Chantry I know has been warped into something more concerning:

  
Ferelden - where besides the Chasind, Avvar, and the old religions of Alamarri you may find cultists of all sorts which have reshaped Andraste’s words and will in bewildering ways, if Haven is any indication.

  
Rivain - where the Chantry has never maintained a strong presence without terrible force and will never do so as long as the Rivainis maintain greater allegiance to their Seers than they do to the Chantry and the Light of the Maker

  
and Nevarra - where the Chantry sisters here claim THEY keep the truest traditions and that they know the Will of the Maker most intimately while stopping just short of having the audacity to claim they know more than the Most Holy.

  
I know you are surprised by my assertion the Chantry is somehow “foreign” or otherwise being warped here. I am not. I am also not saying all Nevarrans are heretics. Without a doubt, The Chantry as an institution is strong, and Nevarran followers are devoted. I am certain you will misinterpret my words, telling me I’m conflating my observations based on those who follow the Cult of the Maker. You’ll tell me it’s an easy mistake to make, since I am not native to Nevarra and do not know her people with the same intimacy you claim.

  
So instead of sending me excerpts of other peoples’ words every time you disagree with me, try hearing me out.

  
I’m well aware that every nation has its own “character” when it comes to our chantries and the worship of our Maker. In Orlais, we have our Grand Cathedral with a rich, almost orchestral Chant perpetually streaming from Serault stained glass windows. In contrast, the largest Chantry in Ferelden is only slightly more regal than a minor lord’s home. I’ve seen guest bedrooms in Orlais that were more ornate than Denerim’s Chantry.

  
But this goes beyond unique quirks. Nevarran worship seems so…..brutish in comparison to Montsimmard. Here, they sing the Chant of Light with a guttural, throaty quality that I have a hard time distinguishing from a tavern song. They always focus on her time as a warrior and glorify the slaying of heretics and her enemies. I’ve only seen a more fervent dedication to conversion among the Qunari. It unnerves me.

  
Surely you see where my concern comes from. Andraste is not a bloodthirsty barbarian. She converted with words. I just don’t think this is a proper representation of our Faith represented here.

  
I look forward to a response. Preferably in **your** words.

  
_\- Letter from Sister Lisette of Montsimmard, Chantry scholar, to Sister Daniyah Pentaghast of the Cumberland Chantry._

* * *

 

The Valarian Fields

  
The Silent Plains

  
Nevarra, more than any other nation, was shaped by Andraste’s song and by her sword as she waged holy War against the wickedness of the Imperium. Nevarra is where the Light of the Chantry and Maker shines brightest.

  
Even more than Ferelden, where she was born. Even more than Tevinter, where she was martyred.

  
Because Nevarra, more than any other nation, is soaked in the blood of the Exalted.

  
In other nations, her Chant is as sweet as a baby’s lullaby. She is a Redeemer, crossing the Waking Sea with songs, no more threatening than the kindliest Chantry mother.

  
This is wrong.

  
Andraste did not spread the Chant of Light through baskets of flowers and hymns. She was a warrior and prophetess both. She had a grand vision, an Empire in service to the Maker. Her Chant of Light is also a War Cry. Her blood was spilled on the battlefield and on the pyre.

  
She did not just die for her Maker. She **killed** for Him.

  
Drakon may receive attribution for the spread of the Chant of Light, but it is in Nevarra where the Chantry was formed. It was in Nevarra where the Seekers and Templars were formed. It’s no coincidence our most stalwart defenders of the faith tend to come from Nevarra. They remember Andraste as she truly was, and as our faith truly is. We are dedicated to spreading the Chant in all four corners of the world, until Thedas and beyond swells with song only praising the Maker, so that He will return to us.  


Those who wish to hide this lie to themselves and to the Maker. This was Andraste’s commandment. She did not wage war against idolators if she did not wish us to do the same.

  
_\- Except from a sermon by Grand Cleric Iona of Cumberland, delivered in 9:40 Dragon. Sent in reply to Sister Lisette of Montsimmard, Chantry scholar, from Sister Daniyah Pentaghast of the Cumberland Chantry._

**Author's Note:**

> This is not designed to be canon-compliant or replace whatever canon material Bioware releases on Nevarra
> 
> You are free to use any of this for your own fics or meta, I only ask that you credit me and provide a link to the Nevarra World Building Project.


End file.
